President Trump argued that Drew Brees should have stood by comments he made denouncing players who knelt during the national anthem. The New Orleans Saints quarterback apologized for the comments shortly after they went viral.
“I am a big fan of Drew Brees. I think he’s truly one of the greatest quarterbacks, but he should not have taken back his original stance on honoring our magnificent American Flag. OLD GLORY is to be revered, cherished, and flown high,” Trump tweeted Friday afternoon. “We should be standing up straight and tall, ideally with a salute, or a hand on heart. There are other things you can protest, but not our Great American Flag – NO KNEELING!”
Earlier this week, the quarterback faced backlash for saying he would “never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country.”
I am a big fan of Drew Brees. I think he’s truly one of the greatest quarterbacks, but he should not have taken back his original stance on honoring our magnificent American Flag. OLD GLORY is to be revered, cherished, and flown high…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2020
Several players, including some teammates, condemned the commentary from Brees.
He apologized a day later, saying, “I would like to apologize to my friends, teammates, the City of New Orleans, the black community, NFL community and anyone I hurt with my comments yesterday. In speaking with some of you, it breaks my heart to know the pain I have caused. In an attempt to talk about respect, unity, and solidarity centered around the American flag and the national anthem, I made comments that were insensitive and completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country.”
Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, started the trend of kneeling for the national anthem before games in protest of police brutality and systemic racism. The protest gained traction throughout the league after the president disparaged the peaceful protest.
There is now speculation that kneeling may make a comeback when the NFL season kicks up again following the death of George Floyd.
